MONSTERS NEED LOVE TOO [Intro — Television sounds faintly in the background; soft piano begins] [Spoken — Little girl watching TV] Look, Mommy! King Kong's holding a woman on top of that building! The airplanes are shooting at him! (A moment of silence. Her voice begins to tremble.) Why are they hurting him? (She turns, crying.) Monsters need love too. [Verse 1 — Gentle piano, innocent childlike voice] He's holding her up in the sky, The airplanes are circling round. They're trying to bring him down, They're trying to shoot him down. He's big enough to frighten them, But can't somebody see? He's holding someone in his arms. Why can't they let him be? (A quiet pause) Maybe he is frightened too. Maybe he's all alone. Maybe he needs somebody To love him as their own. [Pre-Chorus — Strings slowly enter] Everybody sees the monster. Everybody sees the threat. But what if there's a heart inside That nobody has loved yet? [Chorus — Soft female voice; distant choir] Monsters need love too. Who will love them when they cry? Who will see beyond the outside? Who will even stop to try? Monsters need love too. Even when they've done things wrong. Could the love that helps them change Be what they've needed all along? [Verse 2 — Piano deepens; voice becomes more reflective] It's easy to see the monster When the monster isn't me. It's easy to judge the darkness That in someone else we see. But what happens when I look inside, When I see the things I do? When I hurt the ones who love me, When I know I should be true? I have wanted to be loving. I have tried to do what's right. But how often have I failed And hidden from the light? [Pre-Chorus — Intimate, almost spoken] What if seeing my own failure Isn't where my story ends? What if knowing that I'm broken Is where I begin to seek a Friend? [Chorus — Strings swell gently] Monsters need love too. Now I wonder, what about me? If I cannot give the goodness That I know I ought to be, Who can teach my heart to love? Who can make the darkness new? If the monster needs compassion, Don't I need compassion too? [Bridge — Music falls nearly silent; sincere, searching voice] Perhaps the saddest thing Is not that we have failed. Perhaps it's that we hide our failure, And tell ourselves we're well. We blame the world around us. We point at someone else's sin. But when will we become so honest That we let the truth come in? (Pause) What if our need is not the end? What if it is the door? What if the goodness we've been seeking Must come from Someone more? Someone who sees us as we are, Who knows the wrong we've done, Who doesn't call the darkness light, But offers us a way to come. [Verse 3 — A quiet, hopeful melody begins] If there is a Father who is good, Would He want His children changed? Would He want us free to love, With hearts no longer ruled by shame? But how can I become that person? How can I give what I don't own? I need more than my determination. I need goodness not my own. So I will stop pretending. I will seek the One who's true. I will ask Him to reveal Himself, To show me what He wants to do. And if He has a promise, If He will make His goodness known, I will wait upon His mercy. I cannot change my heart alone. [Final Chorus — Full piano, cello, and choir, building with hope] Monsters need love too. Now I see my need as well. I have seen the wrong I've done. I have seen the truth I tell. I don't need another reason To pretend that I am strong. I need the love that makes me different, The love for which I've longed. Monsters need love too. But love must do more than forgive. Love must reach the heart that's broken And teach that heart to truly live. If I see my need while there's still time, I won't turn my eyes away. I'll seek the One who can make me new. I'll ask Him to show the way. [Outro — Music fades to a simple piano; the little girl's voice returns] (Softly, remembering King Kong) I thought he was the monster. Then I wondered about me. (Pause) Maybe when we see our need Is when we're finally ready to see... The love we've always needed. (Whisper) Monsters need love too. [One final piano note. Long silence. End.]
